How about money back for downtime?!

I was thinking, with all this downtime going on lately. Which is most sour for the paying accounts as they don't get worth for what they are paying, there should be some kind of compensation for the paying accounts.

I know other mature online games where it happens and it kind of enlightens the pain of the downtime knowing that you actually get something in return for it. Next to that it stimulates the team extra to solve the problem a bit quicker..

There are three options that I am thinking of, one easy to implement and one a bit harder.

1 : They give us extra hours or days for every hour or day the server is offline. The hours will be added at the end of the month (just before the new month gets deducted from your credit card. So the new deduction will take place a day or whatever the downtime was later).
2 : They let us pay less for the comming month say the % of downtime was 5% they will deduct 5% from the monthly fee for the next month.
3 : They give us Simoleans to compensate for every hour that the city is offline (say 100 simoleans per hours which is way less then you COULD have earned).

I like the 3rd option best and think will be the easiest to implement.

To be honest I think that mainenance should also count towards "downtime" if it takes longer then 15 minutes.

Its a nice idea, but the game is under the wire, it has to show a profit soon to stay online. I think we need to be patient and deal with things while they work on giving us the game we dream of. That includes not freaking out every time the game is down. All games have downtime. We need to just try to be more understanding.

Its a nice idea, but the game is under the wire, it has to show a profit soon to stay online. I think we need to be patient and deal with things while they work on giving us the game we dream of. That includes not freaking out every time the game is down. All games have downtime. We need to just try to be more understanding.

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I think I am pretty understanding and do not tend to freak out.

I understand it from EA's viewpoint. I know it is tough to run an online game, especially with all the different people with different voices and different opinions. You simply cannot please all. for example look at some of the replies to this post, some people aren't even willing to discuss and shoot ideas down right away.

I however do understand the viewpoint of some of the people "freaking out". It's frustrating to be unable to play "your" game.

As a sign of understand from EA's side for these players, I think it will be a nice gesture. It IS gonna take happy players to make and keep this game profitable, not unhappy ones.

EA has never compensated players for any downtime or bugs that make your items disapear so I think that is why everyone is laughing. Good idea but it will never happen.

This isn't really a Beta game even though they call it that. I haven't seen any new features since I came back except for CC and the fact everyone is in the same city. They now closed TSO citites down so not having us pay would mean no money coming in at all. The beta would just end quicker and we'd have the same problems

Hmmm....just a question, Do you get money back when your cable goes out? How about lights or the phone lines are down? This is a game that we choose to pay for, with all its ups and downs, if ya love the game, you love the game all the little annoyances that go with it. Thinking the dev's are working as hard as they can, do we really expect them all to work around the clock? Thinking that is kinda unfair as they are human, just like you and I they need R &amp; R time as well, food and sleep. If I were working so hard and saw half this negativity I would get frustrated pretty quickly, toss hands in air and be ready to give up... Is this what we want to happen? While we all need to vent, shouldn't we also mention all the good and the appreciation for that as well? Just my thoughts and let me say a big Thank you for all their efforts, successes, devotion, dedication they show each and every one of us each and every day

Hmmm....just a question, Do you get money back when your cable goes out? How about lights or the phone lines are down? This is a game that we choose to pay for, with all its ups and downs, if ya love the game, you love the game all the little annoyances that go with it. Thinking the dev's are working as hard as they can, do we really expect them all to work around the clock? Thinking that is kinda unfair as they are human, just like you and I they need R &amp; R time as well, food and sleep. If I were working so hard and saw half this negativity I would get frustrated pretty quickly, toss hands in air and be ready to give up... Is this what we want to happen? While we all need to vent, shouldn't we also mention all the good and the appreciation for that as well? Just my thoughts and let me say a big Thank you for all their efforts, successes, devotion, dedication they show each and every one of us each and every day

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Totally agree!
They didn't intend this to happen. Nor do they get compensated for working back late, maybe a little overtime... but it's their loss of leisure to our gain.

Hmmm....just a question, Do you get money back when your cable goes out? How about lights or the phone lines are down?

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<font color="green"> Actually... no, but they don't go down for maintenance every day and are offline maybe once a year for an hour if i'm unlucky. I think this is a strange question to ask. </font>

<blockquote><hr>

This is a game that we choose to pay for, with all its ups and downs, if ya love the game, you love the game all the little annoyances that go with it. Thinking the dev's are working as hard as they can, do we really expect them all to work around the clock? Thinking that is kinda unfair as they are human, just like you and I they need R &amp; R time as well, food and sleep.

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<font color="green"> Do you see me suggesting what you are saying here? I don't say they shouldn't sleep or eat or work around the clock or whatever.</font>

<blockquote><hr>

If I were working so hard and saw half this negativity I would get frustrated pretty quickly, toss hands in air and be ready to give up... Is this what we want to happen? While we all need to vent, shouldn't we also mention all the good and the appreciation for that as well? Just my thoughts and let me say a big Thank you for all their efforts, successes, devotion, dedication they show each and every one of us each and every day

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<font color="green"> Agreed, it sucks to read all these negative posts, which I tried NOT to get this post to turn into. It is a post with a SUGGESTION to compensate and increase the green bar of "FUN" and maybe a bit of "SOCIAL". It could show the devs are willing to give a small gift as kind of "sorry for the trouble". I notice a lot of people seem to think this is a negative post but its not. I'm trying to make something which is negative a bit more positive.</font>

I was thinking, with all this downtime going on lately. Which is most sour for the paying accounts as they don't get worth for what they are paying, there should be some kind of compensation for the paying accounts.

I know other mature online games where it happens and it kind of enlightens the pain of the downtime knowing that you actually get something in return for it. Next to that it stimulates the team extra to solve the problem a bit quicker..

There are three options that I am thinking of, one easy to implement and one a bit harder.

1 : They give us extra hours or days for every hour or day the server is offline. The hours will be added at the end of the month (just before the new month gets deducted from your credit card. So the new deduction will take place a day or whatever the downtime was later).
2 : They let us pay less for the comming month say the % of downtime was 5% they will deduct 5% from the monthly fee for the next month.
3 : They give us Simoleans to compensate for every hour that the city is offline (say 100 simoleans per hours which is way less then you COULD have earned).

I like the 3rd option best and think will be the easiest to implement.

To be honest I think that mainenance should also count towards "downtime" if it takes longer then 15 minutes.

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LMAO!

Sorry, dittie - not laffing at you, but rather at the thot of EA turning loose of anything with monetary value.

I'm going to be ignorant and assume you pay $9.99 a month (you could be from another country, but lets stay on US dollar here.)

So, that's 33 cents a day and roughly 1.375 cents an hour. So if we have a downtime of 3 hours, do you really want a 4 cent check?

Please, save the trees and let them keep those checks and instead let Lee get himself something nice, like a bottle of cherry-flavoured painkillers.

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Exactly...

NOIP
Also, I see the "Beta"thing being tossed around, and there is a thread on it.

Every month you allow your credit card to be charged the 9.99 or the 1.375 cents an hour you are accepting the terms that you are playing an online game which is prone to instability and downtimes.
Beta or no.
Even in Wow, the servers knock off line the oddest hours. And that game is like crack so imagine how wired those players get.

I'm trying to put this out there so I don't come off as rude... sarcastic or all the other descriptions that are within my nature.

You opt to pay for this game. if you can not handle what comes along with it, then you have to opt not to play this game. The thing I always find funny/shocking/sad is the anger that comes across in a lot of the players posts. If you are truly as unhappy as you are presenting yourself to hundreds of strangers... then maybe this game is not for you.

I'm not saying that anyone should quit. I'm saying you should evaluate whether or not you have what it takes to deal with some instability.

I'm sure once all the bugs that have been occuring due to them giving us what we want (our cities merged so we could play our old avatars) they'll be able to stabilize everything until the next big update.

You can always play free in TC3 and still do your "Beta" thing... although we all seem to want everything on our terms.

I'd offer you guys 33 cents a day... but I'd rather save my pennies and buy some booze.
Sorry.

Hmmm....just a question, Do you get money back when your cable goes out? How about lights or the phone lines are down?

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Actually, yes I do. When the cable has gone out... I always get it pro-rated. I can't think of one single time when the lights went out more than 10 minutes-that is not applicable-but I would certainly call if it did. The phone has been the same as the cable-it went down-I called and money was credited to my account.

If you have nothing to add then please stay out of the topic before it gets flooded with useless posts.

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It could be argued that the entire topic is no more useful than the 'lol' and 'lmao' posts. They may be smart assed, but it is because this has been beaten to death as a topic and it will NEVER HAPPEN. Each and every one of us that hold premium account(s) do so of our own free will, especially now that free accounts are available, and we do so KNOWING that the game is in beta and that downtimes are part of territory. Don't like it, don't play games in beta....there's no other way to deal with it because it isn't something that can be changed.

Hmmm....just a question, Do you get money back when your cable goes out? How about lights or the phone lines are down?

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Actually, yes I do. When the cable has gone out... I always get it pro-rated. I can't think of one single time when the lights went out more than 10 minutes-that is not applicable-but I would certainly call if it did. The phone has been the same as the cable-it went down-I called and money was credited to my account.

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Yeah if it goes down for a day or more at a time, BUT you pay ALOT more than that, so a day of loss of service could equal about half of what you pay for an entire month with EA Land at $9.99 a month. When I had cable I paid roughly $100 a month so a loss of a day was roughly $3.50, that's a 3rd of the monthly fee. Even that is paltry, but it would have been worth asking for a refund on it. 33 cents a day is not. See the distinction?

I have played most MMOs that have come out since Meridian59 and I don't think I've ever gotten money back for downtime. At best I have been given a month of free play which is about as close to equivillent to what you say and that was in Anarchy Online during their first year when it was down literally 90% of the time for a year.

Many cases even as recent as LOTRO they gave a small token to all the players thanking them for their patience in the form of a special object. However, in every one of those cases the downtime was certainly more than 24 hours.

I certainly can attest to the fact that downtime of any length is extremely irritating, but I also know that the impact of people threatening to leave or even complaining really doesn't have a very lasting effect on companies who have a revolving door of new players.

It's going to take a true mass exodus for companies to stand up and take notice and the likelihood of that is slim to none. The best thing to do is just let it go or do as you have and vent away

Many cases even as recent as LOTRO they gave a small token to all the players thanking them for their patience in the form of a special object. However, in every one of those cases the downtime was certainly more than 24 hours.

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Oooh yes like when IH was down for a week straight and we got gnomes. &lt;3

I also was under the impression that the lava lamps was to show that we put up with the beginning of EA-Land. A token of being a founder or w/e....

3 : They give us Simoleans to compensate for every hour that the city is offline (say 100 simoleans per hours which is way less then you COULD have earned).

I like the 3rd option best and think will be the easiest to implement.

To be honest I think that mainenance should also count towards "downtime" if it takes longer then 15 minutes.

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Lets just quote myself.

I already said in my original post that option 1 and 2 probably werent gonna happen so I made a 3rd and easier to implement suggestion.

All this discussion is going on about not being able to find the phone because the lights are out and the power is off and the phone line is down and while you at it you find 33 cents.......duh

At the end the suggestion is :
- Being laughed at
- Being off-topiced
- Being seen as something to bring down the staff

The suggestion is being used as :
- A way to tell how good the staff is
- A way to tell how EA sits on their money
- A good joke

WTH?

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I guess the community doesn't feel that it is a very good suggestion

But... some of those replies were reasons as to why your "suggestion" is not possible.

Compensation in the game is not something that I can see happening.
The reason why I do not see it happening, is it does not seem like EA is willing to put any extra money into this economy. You would have a better shot IMO of getting that .33 cent check in the mail.

3 : They give us Simoleans to compensate for every hour that the city is offline (say 100 simoleans per hours which is way less then you COULD have earned).

I like the 3rd option best and think will be the easiest to implement.

To be honest I think that mainenance should also count towards "downtime" if it takes longer then 15 minutes.

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Lets just quote myself.

I already said in my original post that option 1 and 2 probably werent gonna happen so I made a 3rd and easier to implement suggestion.

All this discussion is going on about not being able to find the phone because the lights are out and the power is off and the phone line is down and while you at it you find 33 cents.......duh

At the end the suggestion is :
- Being laughed at
- Being off-topiced
- Being seen as something to bring down the staff

The suggestion is being used as :
- A way to tell how good the staff is
- A way to tell how EA sits on their money
- A good joke

WTH?

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In the hopes that you will begin to realize that it is an unreasonable request to willingly play a game that is in beta and then expect compensation for the glitches and bumps in the road that go along with it! You're going to have to make a decision. Play in this beta game and roll with the punches, or decide that you cannot roll with the punches and just not log in until after the beta period is over. You can not have your cake and eat it too. That is the whole point people are trying to get you to understand. Some posts have been more tactful than others, but that is the prevailing theme in every single one.

&lt;snip&gt;I know other mature online games where it happens and it kind of enlightens the pain of the downtime knowing that you actually get something in return for it. Next to that it stimulates the team extra to solve the problem a bit quicker..

There are three options that I am thinking of, one easy to implement and one a bit harder.

1 : They give us extra hours or days for every hour or day the server is offline. The hours will be added at the end of the month (just before the new month gets deducted from your credit card. So the new deduction will take place a day or whatever the downtime was later).
2 : They let us pay less for the comming month say the % of downtime was 5% they will deduct 5% from the monthly fee for the next month.
3 : They give us Simoleans to compensate for every hour that the city is offline (say 100 simoleans per hours which is way less then you COULD have earned).

I like the 3rd option best and think will be the easiest to implement.

To be honest I think that mainenance should also count towards "downtime" if it takes longer then 15 minutes.

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I'm not going to laugh atcha (southern drawl *wink*), but I just don't see any of the above happening...
AND I understand WHY we have downtime. They are working hard to make this game a much better game...and it's my hope that I find it personally rewarding in time, because of my (most of the time) patience.

I think that as far as re-compensating for downtime goes, it would only make it worse on the game. EA needs this money to help make the game better. At least, I hope they ARE using all the EALAND revenue strictly for EALAND. This is something that I have no expertise on...for all I know they could be splitting the money to build Sims3 for next year..now that would stink...urgh that's a horrible, horrible thought that literally just popped in my head.

But if I understand correctly..the offline company and online company (including the funding) are split now? So maybe that thought is null.

Question for the poster:IF we get any compensation for downtime, I think the best bet for the game is to reward us for being so patient with in game gifts...oh wait!: They are already doing that! (ie. skill locks, etc)....I don't suppose the "other games" do such a thing, <u>do they?</u> I bet not.

I'm curious what do the "other mature (odd choice of word if I may be permitted to point out: why the word mature?) online games do when there is a lot of downtime? Because in all honesty..I've only played them a couple of times, and didn't like them, ran out of things fun to do etc, enough to stick around.

Besides..we all know that we signed up to pay for a beta game..they aren't forcing us to do so. *I may eat these words later: I sure hope not*

I certainly wasnt trying to bash your suggestion, I just think we have bigger things to worry about. If we all work together to report bugs and help get the game running smoothly the reward will be far greater then any minor monetary compensation we might receive for downtime. This is just a time that requires a great deal of patience which unfortunately (not saying you) some players are not cut out for.

The whole thing is a matter of perspective. Downtime from changes happens in every online game. There's an old saying about not playing on Patch Day that seems to hit every MMO. When expansion packs come out that day extends usually to a week or two before the major bugs get whacked and things go back to normal.

This really isn't any different. Sure it's a beta for a game and I'm not accustomed to paying to beta either. Then again I have been a beta tester for Ultima Online, Asheron's Call, Everquest, Star Wars Galaxy, Earth and Beyond (Come on EA, bring that back!), Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, and Lord of the Rings Online, and all of the above were FILLED with a lot more lag and a lot more downtime than this one.

I'm certainly no EA Fanboy (in fact I can't believe I am paying to play this game again), but the fact of the matter is they are having a lot less downtime than most games during expansion periods and you don't stop paying MMOs during those times either.

As I said before most of the games do give small compensation in the form of trinkets for extended downtimes but it sure was a lot more than we have seen here (annoying as any amount of downtime is).

AO: Free month of play in 2002(?) after a year of release where the game was almost totally unplayable and it cost the company dearly to this day and yet thousands kept paying for the game - Pioneer Backpack and other trinkets through the years
Everquest: Don't remember Sony giving much of anything away for all the issues they have nor in SWG. They are downright awful as a company if you ask me.
UO: Gift maniacs for their players
LOTRO gave us some candles and some other token for their extended downtime

Looking at the above business techniques why on earth would EA feel obligated to do anything like that for their customers? They have games galore to support their profit-margins. The developers are doing all that they do because honestly, I believe they love their project. Not many companies have gone to these lengths on a project that is probably destined to die a similar fate as E&amp;B (though E&amp;B died MUCH faster and that sucks!).

Totally agree!
They didn't intend this to happen. Nor do they get compensated for working back late, maybe a little overtime... but it's their loss of leisure to our gain.

Never for a minute think that the people that work on this game are not well compensated. BTW, how do you know they don't get compensated? Do you know someone that works there. Just as we choose to pay for this game THEY choose to work at their job so I highly doubt they are doing it for the good of the community.

I was thinking, with all this downtime going on lately. Which is most sour for the paying accounts as they don't get worth for what they are paying, there should be some kind of compensation for the paying accounts.

I know other mature online games where it happens and it kind of enlightens the pain of the downtime knowing that you actually get something in return for it. Next to that it stimulates the team extra to solve the problem a bit quicker..

There are three options that I am thinking of, one easy to implement and one a bit harder.

1 : They give us extra hours or days for every hour or day the server is offline. The hours will be added at the end of the month (just before the new month gets deducted from your credit card. So the new deduction will take place a day or whatever the downtime was later).
2 : They let us pay less for the comming month say the % of downtime was 5% they will deduct 5% from the monthly fee for the next month.
3 : They give us Simoleans to compensate for every hour that the city is offline (say 100 simoleans per hours which is way less then you COULD have earned).

I like the 3rd option best and think will be the easiest to implement.

To be honest I think that mainenance should also count towards "downtime" if it takes longer then 15 minutes.

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Oh... good laugh....!

Anyway!

No, you have the choice of playing and paying. You have the option to play but without paying. You have to option to leave altogether.

Maintenance happens because stuff happens okay, back during the first few years of TSO people used to jump around waiting for updates and maintenance and no one complained.

No where in the ToS that you accepted before you played the game, does it say that EA must compensate us in anyway for any downtime or cancelation of the game.

If they were to give us money for all the time there was maintenance, then EAL would be canceled by EA. What can you guys not get?

omg imagening all the simoleans i would have gotten since october 2002, for every daily maintanance. if you say 100/hour and maint takes about a half hour a day so this would be 100 in 2 days.
if i calculate a month with 30 days so this would be 1500 simoleans in 1 month
I play since 5 years and 5 month now = 65 month x 1500 simoleans = 97500 simoleans until today

Hmmm....just a question, Do you get money back when your cable goes out? How about lights or the phone lines are down? This is a game that we choose to pay for, with all its ups and downs, if ya love the game, you love the game all the little annoyances that go with it. Thinking the dev's are working as hard as they can, do we really expect them all to work around the clock? Thinking that is kinda unfair as they are human, just like you and I they need R &amp; R time as well, food and sleep. If I were working so hard and saw half this negativity I would get frustrated pretty quickly, toss hands in air and be ready to give up... Is this what we want to happen? While we all need to vent, shouldn't we also mention all the good and the appreciation for that as well? Just my thoughts and let me say a big Thank you for all their efforts, successes, devotion, dedication they show each and every one of us each and every day

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I always ask for my bill to be prorated when my cable goes out, and they do prorate...LOL

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